title: Digital oedema, adhesion formation and resistance to digital motion after primary flexor tendon repair.
abstract: The development of digital oedema, adhesion formation, and resistance to digital motion at days 0, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 14 after primary flexor tendon repairs using 102 long toes of 51 Leghorn chickens was studied. Oedema presented as tissue swelling from days 3 to 7, which peaked at day 3. After day 7, oedema was manifest as hardening of subcutaneous tissue. The degree of digital swelling correlated with the resistance to tendon motion between days 3 and 7. At day 9, granulation tissues were observed around the tendon and loose adhesions were observed at day 14. Resistance to digital motion increased significantly from day 0 to day 3, but did not increase between days 3 and 9. The early postoperative changes appear to have three stages: initial (days 0-3, increasing resistance with development of oedema), delayed (days 4-7, higher resistance with continuing oedema) and late (after day 7-9, hardening of subcutaneous tissue with development of adhesions).
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, Hand Surgery Research Center, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University and Jiangsu Hand Surgery Center, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002645:Chickens; D004487:Edema / Q000503:physiopathology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D040521:Subcutaneous Tissue / Q000293:injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D013710:Tendons / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000503:physiopathology; D014034:Toes / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*